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NYC's latest plan to house migrants? Churches and other houses of worship.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jun 5, 2023
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Photo by Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jun 5, 2023
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City churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship will provide shelter for nearly 1,000 migrant men as part of a new plan Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday to tackle the ongoing arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
The two-year agreement with New York Disaster Interfaith Services, a group of faith-based volunteers, seeks to involve as many as 50 houses of worship that have showers, dining areas, storage spaces for cots and other amenities necessary for overnight stays.
Each house of worship may accommodate up to 19 single men, for a total of 950 additional beds for the new arrivals.
During a news conference at City Hall, Adams said the plan would cost the city roughly $125 per night for each individual. A handout provided by the interfaith volunteer organization said houses of worship will be compensated up to $65 per night per individual, or up to $35,000 per month, paid in advance.
The city will also enlist five houses of worship to run “daytime hospitality centers” to serve about 150 individuals a day, where migrants would be given access to showers as well as a hot lunch.
“It’s an amazing return on investment,” Adams said Monday morning. “Because that's the best way for individuals to really incorporate themselves in the daily lives of New York City.”
So far, the city has counted more than 72,000 migrants going through the city’s intake process since last spring. More than 46,000 of those individuals are said to be in the city’s care currently.
The announcement comes as the mayor confronts growing criticism that his administration lacks coordination and transparency in dealing with the crisis.
Over the weekend, hundreds of migrants were forced to evacuate from a former Manhattan correctional facility repurposed into a shelter after a plumbing issue arose.
Adams told reporters on Monday that those who stayed were able to re-enter the shelter that evening.
For weeks, the administration has stopped providing a breakdown of where migrants are staying and in what kind of shelter. Asked about a demand from City Comptroller Brad Lander for more data, Adams brushed back any scrutiny of the city’s count, maintaining there was no “lack of confidence” in the estimates.
Adams said the city spent $1.2 billion through the end of May, and lamented the relatively scant amount of federal funding. The city received less than $40 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to date, an amount the mayor said was sufficient only to cover five days of a crisis that has lasted more than a year.
Monday’s announcement was not unexpected. Houses of worship have been clamoring to help the city provide shelter for migrants. In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that the administration was in talks with faith-based leaders.
Speaking alongside the mayor at City Hall, Peter Gudaitis, the CEO of the New York Disaster Interfaith Services, alluded to the red tape involved in reaching a deal.
“It's been lightspeed for a city contract, but that's still a few months,” Gudaitis said.
Tagged
new york city
Asylum Seekers
housing
Politics
eric adams
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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